A pinch valve is a valve that is operable with a flexible tubing or hose and which is capable of pinching the tube or hose using a tube-pinching mechanism. Pinch valves are typically full bore, linear action valves that can be used in an off/on manner. However, some pinch valves can be used in a variable position or throttling service.
Pinch valves are used in many medical and pharmaceutical applications. They are also used in food dispensing applications because advantages of pinch valves include cleanliness, excellent drainage, and ease of cleaning. In addition to cleanliness, another advantage of pinch valves is their operation speed. Most pinch valves are simply on-off valves; they open and close a flexible tube using a pinch bar that moves between two positions. Moving a pinch bar through two, fixed locations can be done quickly.
A problem with prior art pinch valves, especially those used with a liquid dispenser is that they do not facilitate the installation and removal of the bulk containers from which liquids are dispensed. Stated another way, prior art pinch valves typically require disassembly to install and/or remove a tube passing through them and also for cleaning. Disassembling a prior art pinch valve is difficult and time consuming. A pinch valve that can be disassembled quickly and easily would be an improvement over the prior art.